Isle of Wight Tomato Risotto

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

You’ll need:

450g fresh whole Campari tomatoes or similar

2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

½ tsp sugar

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

800ml chicken or vegetable stock

15g butter

1 tbsp light olive oil

2 finely chopped echalion shallots

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

200g Arborio rice

150ml dry white wine

100g mozzarella roughly chopped

30g freshly grated Parmesan plus extra for serving

Chopped fresh basil for serving

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

Put the tomatoes and garlic in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and a touch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

Lay the tomatoes and garlic halves on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes or until the skins of the tomatoes have collapsed and are just starting to brown.

Put the roasted tomatoes and garlic in a blender along with the chicken stock and blend until smooth then keep hot in a small saucepan.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the rice rosemary and salt & pepper, stir and cook for one minute. Add the white wine, bring to a boil, and boil until the wine is mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes.

Add about ¼ of the hot tomato mixture. Cook, stirring regularly, until most of the liquid has been incorporated, then continue adding a little at a time, stirring regularly as the rice absorbs the liquid (this will take 20-25 minutes). The rice will begin to swell and become creamy in texture. Stir in the mozzarella and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the rice is too dry, stir in a little extra hot stock.

Serve immediately in wide bowls, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

Recipe credit: thetomatostall.co.uk